Bugaboo Shout Out

Just wanted to give a shout out to Bugaboo Prints! I won this print from them 2 weeks ago and love it. They have lots of cute prints, so check them out!

Cabin Trip

A few weeks ago we took a weekend trip to my parent's cabin in North Georgia. We had a great time getting away. We hiked to a few waterfalls, went to the park, visited Brasstown Bald, and watched a few movies. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend.

Some of the waterfalls had little rock formations someone had made.

View from Brasstown Bald

Naomi and the notorious fox.

Waterfall. Can you see Aaron & Levi?

Big Brother Sweetness

Levi is proving to be one amazing big brother. Naomi has not been sleeping well at night. Usually she wakes once at some point and it only takes a little snuggling and she is back asleep. I'm hoping it is due to teething, but we'll see. Anyway, Sunday evening I was woken up around 2am to hear Naomi crying. When I woke up I noticed the living room light was on, so I go to investigate. I walk around the corner and look into Naomi's room to find that Levi has crawled into the pack-n-play with Naomi. He has given her a pacifier and is telling her "Its okay." She actually seems calm and almost asleep. That is when he saw me and said "Mommy, Nome's crying." So I pick them both up, give Levi some juice, and send him back to bed (after I tell him what a wonderful brother he is). Naomi is back to sleep and in bed by 3am. When morning finally arrives I decide to sleep in since I had to get up with the kids. Around 7:45am I hear Naomi crying again so start to get out of bed, but before I can I hear my bedroom door shut. I get out of bed and walking into the living room to hear laughter coming from Naomi's room. I head that way only to find that Levi has crawled in bed with her again and they are laughing. When I walk in he says "Mommy, you awake?" To which I reply "Yes." Realizing that he thought I was asleep I ask "Did you shut my door so she wouldn't wake me up?" He looks at me and says "Yes." How sweet is that? I definitely have one sweet little boy.

6 (and a half) Months

Naomi had her 6 month check-up on the 6th. She is doing amazingly well. Here are her stats and a few milestones about our growing girl.

• She loves Levi. I really think he is her favorite person. He always makes her laugh.
• She began rice cereal at then end of month 5 and is currently eating Stage 2 foods. She currently likes green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, apples, prunes, peaches, mango, pears, and chicken.
• She is in size 2 diapers...but working her way to Stage 3.
• She loves her pacifier.
• Her thighs are HUGE...and adorable.
• She is a good sleeper usually going from 9pm-7am on a good night. However, she still wakes up periodically.
• She is in size 6-9 month clothes.
• She has cut her 2 bottom teeth (cut the June 25th).
• She loves to take a bath.
• She can roll from her belly to back and from her back to belly.
• She is everywhere, and she hasn't even started crawling yet!
• She can sit up on her own but only for a few seconds at a time.
• She nurses 3 times a day and eats twice a day.
• She has the cutest fuzzy monkey hair around!
• She takes one long nap a day, and will sometimes take 2 naps depending on the day.
• She likes to be held.
• She likes to be with the group. She doesn't like to be left alone in a room.

Stats:

Birth: 8 lbs. 15 oz., 20 1/4 in.
4 Days (1/4/11): 8 lbs. 5.5 oz., 20 1/4 in.
2 weeks (1/18/11): 9 lbs. 7.5 oz. (97%), 21 1/4 in. (90%)
2 months (3/3/11): 12 lbs. 15 oz. (95%), 23 1/2 in. (90%)
4 months (5/3/11): 15 lbs. 9 oz. (90%), 24 3/4 in. (75%)

6 months (7/6/11): 17 lbs. 13.5 oz. (85%), 28 in. (90-95%)

July 4th Weekend

I know its almost August, but here is my July 4th post. We actually had a fantastic July 4th weekend. We were able to visit with family who was in town for the weekend and share some food and fireworks with them. We decided to go to Stone Mountains July 4th laser show and firework display. Although it was insanely crowded and we had to walk forever to get there, the show was awesome. We also attended the Sunflower Festival in Rutledge Monday morning. Of course we topped with weekend off with lots and lots of fireworks!

Title Goes Here

I cannot believe that it has taken me so long to blog. I LOVE blogging, but lately I have just not felt up to it. Perhaps it is this list of things I need to accomplish in the few moments I have, or maybe the need to just be lazy while my kids nap. Either way, I have missed writing my entire world down in cyber space. I only have a bazillion things to say and update my 2 or 3 readers on. Hang in there. I promise I will update SOON...maybe even later today if I have a few extra minutes. For now I have dinner preparations to attend to. So for those of you who feel the need to be part of my life, here is what we are having for dinner. Make a big dish for yourself!

Italian Bake

1 pkg sweet Italian sausage, scrambled and drained
3 jars Alfredo sauce
3 cups cheese it calls for shredded Parmesan cheese I used parma/mozzarella mix.

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can diced tomatoes
1 box pene pasta boiled -aldente
basil
garlic salt

Mix everything together (makes 9x13 plus some). Bake at 350 until good and bubbly. Cover with foil at the beginning of cooking and then take off at the end to brown top. Cook time is about 50 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!

Just One of my Proudest Moment (so far...)

I have never been more proud of this little guy, and let me share why... When we were pregnant with Levi, Aaron & I did a lot of talking about what kind of parents we wanted to be and what kind of kids we wanted to raise. To say the least we had high expectations, but who doesn't when you are expecting your first child. Everyone wants their kids to be well mannered, respectful, smart, obedient, resourceful, kind, and giving individuals. In my short time as a parent I have quickly learned that for children to be those things they must see them modeled in their home. This is not to say that I am good at any of it, but I do try to model for my kids the characteristics that I hope they develop. Although I fail daily at this task in one way or another, God is faithful and He is teaching my kids in spite of my own efforts. This story is really a testimony of the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.

Stuff. We all have it and we all want more and more of it. We are taught that we can have anything and everything we ever dreamed of with a little hard work, sacrifice, and a little luck. We have more "stuff" than we could ever need, and when we get new "stuff" we just add it to our pile of old "stuff."

A few days after Levi's birthday we told him it was time to go through his room and pick out things he was willing to give to someone else to make room for his new toys. We started this when he was born, but now that he is older we felt it was time that it became his responsibility. Aaron took him into his room with a box and told Levi to start filing it up with what he wanted to give away. Now let me say that our son does not have a lot of toys as it is. No huge playrooms full to the brim of every toy a child can dream up. He simply has a toy box in his room and a few toys in the garage. At first he was hesitant and Aaron had to push him along, but once he put something in the box, he got excited. Excited to give away ALL his toys. I was completely touched at his willingness to part with some of his favorite things because he knew it would bless someone else. In fact I tried to talk him into keeping a few things (because he played with them quite often) to which he replied "No Mommy. They are for Jesus." I've never been more proud. Its times like these that make parenting and all the sacrifices totally worth every ounce of sweat and tears. I couldn't be more proud of him.

I hate that I'm just getting around to posting this, but better late than never.